Getting around with an ELF

I get around most of the time by transit — I don’t like to drive (and DH does not like me to drive his vintage auto) and I don’t like to ride a bicycle. In the rain. Uphill. And I’m not ready for a motorized wheelchair, although my Dad loved tearing around the streets of Nelson on his Rascal.

I work too far away to ride a bike to my job, and if I want to go shopping there is a strict limit on how much I could carry home.

But what if there were another way of getting around?

Meet the ELF

It’s a trike, so it’s more stable than a bike. It can hold a lot of cargo (up to 350 lbs, according to Life Edited). It’s got an electric motor so you don’t have to pedal all the time. It’s solar powered.

And it’s so darned cute!

Check out the website for Organic Transit — the people who make this adorable little transport. It’s a great idea, maybe a game-changer for traffic-congested cities.

I don’t see me driving down the main byways of Vancouver in one of these — and riding a bike or a trike on the sidewalk is not allowed.

But if they can knock down the price from five grand American, if they can get a few communities to adopt them, I think we have a fighting chance to replace cars for zipping around the immediate neighbourhood. After all, if half of all car trips in the US are three miles or less, this could revolutionize how we get around. With our aging population (and rainy weather), bikes are not always feasible.